By Joe Cantori
--The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo’s latest and rather unique game system release, having the system truly lie in the tablet itself. This allows for a portable experience with peripherals that invite local play. I like the concept of this system, but once you look closer, the Nintendo Switch’s uniqueness can be overshadowed by its many problems, presenting a more unimpressive and overpriced system.
For almost every system in the past Nintendo has nailed the physical design of its portable consoles, making them durable and convenient, but the company has encountered many issues with the Switch. The system lacks ventilation, making heating an extreme problem and even causing their cases to crack with enough exposure. The system also has its charging port on the bottom, a design ideal for loading the device on the dock but becoming a pain when undocked and stood up (unless you purchase remedying accessories). While a hybrid between a portable and a console, and having greater specs than the average portable, the Nintendo Switch has a battery life of about 2-3 hours from a full charge. This means that playing on the go is not a viable option unless you constantly stop by outlets, or hardly take it out.
It is a given that Nintendo games are priced well beyond what they should be. However, when a port of Mario Kart 8 from the Wii U can be charged at full priced, there is a problem. Yes, the game has some new tracks to race on, but it is still a port. Additionally, many games hold high value simply because they are Nintendo products, so flawed and short games like Kirby: Star Allies will get away with a $60 price tag even after their release, despite being arguably overpriced. What’s worse is that a port of DOOM (2016) is being sold at $60, despite exhibiting a poorer performance in comparison to any of its original ports, which are now priced at $20.
The Joy-cons, screen protectors, extra controllers, portable batteries, and more total well over $300.
While pretty awesome from a conceptual level, the Nintendo Switch has numerous annoyances that become quite noticeable once you own the system. Even if you had the money to get the overpriced tablet and all of the necessary accessories, you still have a console that is weaker than the competition, has poor online support, is bulky on the go, and has few new releases by big AAA developers. I would definitely recommend waiting for a revision.
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